Thermostatic control valve



April 28, 1953 J. K. CLARK 2,636,685

THERMOSTATIC CONTROL VALVE Filed Sept. 14, 1949 INVENTOR. JAMES K. CLARK Patented Apr. 28, 1953 fires "THERMGSTATIC CUNTKOLYVATIYE York iiAm'jlica't'ion septen'iber 14,1949, SeriMNmIlEflZ? #2 Claims.

imvention arelates in general 'atoisa 'Ithermotstati'callytoperatedzcontrol valve.

'Ilcmpenaturemesponsive valves $3,1 6 Widely used linuennnection with th'enpiping Land using. of comthustiblelgases. -;!I=heselva1ves may be .usedato stop =thetflow toi -a comhustibiei'gasaif the temperature ziheciimes shigh'zandwth-us ldangerous. Although the waives areldesigned for closing at :a-xcertain temliiperatunegf isxunderst'ood: that' they may-the com rmnctediioriopening at a certain temperature. iEn-lmany linstallationsl reach :ifor example, the 1 on -'field industry, highly corrosive: gases ::are handled i'zattrelatively-ahighcpressuires. 'Ihe corrosive; gas lz-must :he completely isolatedifromz the valve tom- 3; nature 'JllBSIlOIlSiVS mechanism 101' thermostat rzassembly totprevent corrosion; and thereby sticlrtmgrofutheg parts -iand faultysoperation.

tonelofitheiohjects ofz'myiinventioniis to provide 1a thermostatically operated :control valve whereti l a-11y corrosive ggasesware :sealedinrand .rare iso- ;latedtfromithe.thenmostatxassembly.

I I --nother wobiect ;of' my invention sisrto provide :a .tthermostatically operated-control :valve in which lanyi pnessutes exerted hysthegas being controlled meloounterbalancediso that :no ,pressuretis transc mittedIto-thethermostaticzassemhly.

nother:;oloject* of rmy invention-sis to provide ,thetactuating strut which moves the tvalve,,;pins eagainst theavalveseatuwithva leverarm Jtulcmmed l ontan-adjustahle.fulcrumsupportjmemberflto prowi'delafltemperaturezresponsive adjustment. I Anotherlobjectz'of: my-invention list to gprovide :a thermostatically op-eratedzcontrol vvalve in which l-thezsame parts maybe assembledtogetherto operyate lthewalveaon decrease in temperature'asare tassembled tegether tOaOQGIfitBthGVfilVG on an in- -l luggage iinctemperature.

I qAnother-aobject of my invention .is to locate :a ipair ofaopposing-ldiaphragmsIseparatedby:an actuating strut 'in such position in the valve: that gas pressure is exerted against the diaphragms on bothslends .of iith'e t strut, thereby resulting in a counterbalancing of forces so that no pressure or foxtces-itromithe gas pressurevare transmitted to the mechanism which moves thevstrut. Other objectsanda 'fiillerunderstanding of my invention may be had by:referrin to thetfollowsing description and .claims, .talcenzin combination alwlthithe accompanyingdrawingfin which:

I tFigunelliis a cross-sectionalview of mythermostatically operated control' valve; and

Figure 2 is a sectional viewltaken along the line i21- 2*b'fFigure 1. r

"My"thermostati callyoperated valve has ahollow body Ill constructed from a hollow supports I9 is insertedhetwee v hollow support'bodwl Itoiorm achamber within the "hollow support kbody. Similarly, ta

body I I 'I ahollow' 'valve cap I Zwandwaihollowicap -I 3. The hollowsupport-hotly "I I ,vsas iis bes't illustrated in Figure 1,- may be constructed by oasting and-has eppos'itely dis posed'openings Iii nd tiiin "one end thereof. Theseopenings llrand I5;ane=encircled by flange fastening portions I6 and ILmespec tivelyjto when: 'thewalve cap 12 :-.-and the map I'S are fastened by -bolts I8. wAi-fiexible diafih the valve cap 6 t2 which chambertisi isolatediirom flexible diaphragm 253 is insertefi betweenth'ezrc'ap ill-Bland the hollow support 'sloody 11 to form: a chamber which is isolated from th'e hollow support -boidy I1 "and disposed infthe cap I3. hs 'isfii'llustnated in 'Figure 1 of the drawings the valvecap ll'2zz-mayibe said to enclose one-end chamber,- thel-capi 3,:lan opposite end chamber, and the h01'10w.;:supp0r.t body I' I a-mi'ddletchamber whichQ-isdisposediahetween the end chambers: and between sthelspaceld diaphragms I'll-:and 5320.

A .pxiessune :-.equalizing passage"? I interconnects theichambeni'inthe valve I Znand'the cap I I3, so thatitheqaressurelin each 1 er these chambers is equal.

The valve cap I2 'supportseanzvalve :memberflii The naive :rmemher :23 sli'dably inlet. This valve pin 26 abuts the flexible ma- The valve' pinl2'6is:disposedrwithitswaxissubstanstantially 'atright anglesto the planes offthesdiaphragms and in substantiallyrco eaxialfl'alignment "provided" withan' outlet il' vomonesidcathereoiif.

"Ihave provided ai'stmlt' 3Ilwwhichiis coaaxi ally aligned vifith' the valve pin 126- and extends between the diaphragms I9 andizil. "The pressuteiequali-zing passage 2 I transfers -fiuid "gpressure i inrathe valve "cap I 2 tolthecap I3. iiThus'zany fluidppressureagainstthe diaphragm 1 9 will alsoj baagainst "the diaphragm 2 0. .The fluid pressure exerted 'against one end of thel strut 3ll Will -be *couriterbalanced'by' theifiuid pressure exerttedragainsttthe other: end ,tof the rstrnt" 30. "valve :amnor alever arm 3 l having :one end thereof ifulcrnmed'zto adjustable support 32 and the othenendtslthereof :moive ithe 3561111131730 saxially; iandlthereby Yseatithemal-vepin fist-against luianyz'fimdtpressureztexistlng "inithezfchambcniin the valve cap I2 is effectively counterbalanced by the fluid pressure in the chamber of cap l3 so that no pressure is transmitted to the valve arm 3! and the thermostatic assembly or temperature responsive device 33, regardless of variations of such pressure.

The adjustable support 32 is carried by the hollow support body II and has a dial 35 located on the outside of the hollow support body H for adjusting the position of the fulcrum point connection of the valve arm 3| to the support. The adjustable support 32 includes a. plug 39screwed into an opening in the hollow support body H. The plug 39 carries a rotatable adjusting shaft 4|. The dial 3% is fastened to the shaft 4| and provides a manual handle for turning the shaft.

A long lead screw 36 threadedly engages the shaft nearest flexibl diaphragm and t t other end izing passageway interconnectin said chambers,

one of said caps having an intake port and an 'l exhaust port with a valve seat about one of said M and threadedly engages a pivot fork 38. The pivot fork provides the adjustable fulcrum pointv 31 to which one end of the valve arm Si is pivoted.

'. When the thermostatically operated control valve isinvertical position as illustrated in Figure 1, ;the rotating of the dial 35 institutes a vertically .upward or downward movement of the fulcrum point of the valve arm Si by means of the screw 7 T-he temperature responsive device 33 is also su ported by the hollow support body I l and has i a pin 46 which bears against the lever of the valve .ar'm 3| between the ends thereof. Upon change of temperature, the pin Ml'of the temperature I responsive device 33 pivots the valve arm 3| about "the fulcrum end thereof. -30, thereby flexing the diaphragms and moving This moves the strut the valve pin 25 against the valve seat 25.

In the assembly which I have illustrated, the

- valve pin 26 seats against the valve seat 25 upon an increase of temperature. It is understood,

" means of strut 38, to relieve pressure against the valve pin 26, so that it may be unseated from the valve seat 25 by pressure of the fluid or gas in the inlet.

The control valvedescribed herein has been successfully used for controlling the action of a large valve in the oil field industry, Where highly corrosive gases are handled at relatively high pressures. If the flexible diaphragms are constructed of nylon fabric impregnated with Buna 11., they have a rupture strength of 600 pounds. The

" valve.has been used on pressures up to 100 pounds, :and completely isolated corrosive gases from the a delicate temperature responsive apparatus.

.Although I have described my invention with l a certain degree ofparticularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by wayof example and that numerous changes in the detailsof construction and the combination :and arrangement of parts may be resorted to "(without departing from the spirit and the scope {of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim as my invention: 1. A control valve comprising a hollow support housing having opposite openings on one end thereof and an adjustable support member on the other end thereof, a flexible diaphragm cover- ;ing. each. ofsaid openings, to effect a hermetiports, a valve pin slidably supported by said one of said caps with one end abuttable against the seatable in the valve seat, said valve pin and said strut being in longitudinal alignment generally transversely of the lever arm whereby responding'of the temperature responsive device pivots the lever arm to flex the diaphragms and control the seating of the valve pin in the valve seat.

2. A control valve comprising a hollow support housing having identical opposite openings on one end thereof and an adjustable support memher on the other end thereof; said adjustable support member closing said housing, a flexible diaphragm covering each of said openings :to effect a hermetically sealed housing between said diaphragms, a strut within said support housing simultaneously engaging both flexible diaphragms, a valve lever arm having first and second ends and an intermediate bearing point with said first end thereof fulcrumed on said adjustable support member and with said second end thereof pivoted to said strut, a temperature responsive device operatively bearing against the intermediate bearing point of said lever arm, interchangeable caps fastened to said housing covering and cooperating with said flexible diaphragms to form chambers therebetween, said ports, said one of said ports being substantially axially aligned with said caps and with said strut, a valve pin slidably supported by said one of said caps and axially aligned therewith with one end abuttable against the nearest flexiblediaphragm and with the other end seatable in the valve seat,

movement of said nearest flexible diaphragm toward said valve seat moving said valve pin toward said valve seat, said valve pin and said strut being in longitudinal alignment generally transversely of the lever arm whereby responding of the temperature responsive-device pivots the lever arm to flex the diaphragm and control the seating of the valve pin'in the valve seat.'

JAMES K. CLARKE References Cited in the file of this patent Great Britain May.13, 19 21 

